10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Comparison of PM2.5 Chemical Composition and Sources at a Rural Background Site in Central Europe between the Years 1993/1994/1995 and 2009/2010: Effect of Legislative Regulations and Economic Grow on the Air Quality
PETRA POKORNÁ, Jaroslav Schwarz, Radek Krejci, Erik Swietlicki, Vladimír Havránek, Vladimír Ždímal, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals CAS
Abstract Number: 68 Working Group: Source Apportionment
Abstract In this work, the PM2.5 chemical composition data from the first half of the 1990s, thus 5 years after the switch-over from Communist rule in Czech Republic, enable to assess the influence of legislative regulations and economic grow on the air quality within the period of 15 years. The objective of this study is to compare the PM2.5 chemical composition and sources at a rural background site in Central Europe between the years 1993/1994/1995 and 2009/2010. From December 1993 to January 1995 and from October 2009 to October 2010, a total of 320 and 365 daily samples of the PM2.5 were collected at a rural background site (National Atmospheric Observatory Košetice) in Central Europe. Chemical analysis of PM2.5 for 29/26 elements by PIXE and water-soluble inorganic ions by IC (2009/2010) was performed. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was applied to the chemical composition of PM2.5 to identify its sources. The results of chemical analysis and source apportionment have been compared. The decrease of almost all elements concentrations, especially the metals regulated by the EU Directive, are evident. The median ratios show significant improvement in levels of analysed elements in PM2.5. Slight increase of K levels and rs 0.09 K/Se points to rise in the residential wood combustion. The S levels are nearly comparable (higher mean in 2009/2010, while median ratio under 1). Change in the seasonal trends for K, Zn, Pb, Cu and partially S reflect change in dominating pollution sources of these elements. The apportioned sources in the years 1993/94/95 were brown coal combustion, oil combustion, sea salt and dust – long-range transport, re-suspended dust and black coal combustion. The industrial combustion of brown and/or black coal (rs 0.75 Se/As, rs 0.57 Ga/Ge and rs 0.20 As/Zn) and oil (rs 0.72 V/Ni) of the regional origin dominated. In the years 1993/1994/1995 the potential source regions were Czech-German-Polish border (brown coal), Moravia-Silesia region at the Czech-Polish border (black coal), and Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Balkan (oil). The six factors in the years 2009/2010 were assigned as sulphate, residential heating, nitrate, industry, re-suspended dust, and sea salt and dust – long-range transport. The secondary sulphate from coal combustion and residential biomass burning (rs 0.96, K/K+) of the local origin dominated. The declining trend of the elemental concentration and share of the PM2.5 sources within the 15 years confirmed positive impact of the legislative regulations and economic grow.
This work was supported by the The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under the grant ACTRIS-CZ RI (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001315).